Coalition of More Than 35 Leading Dental Organizations Joins Ad Council to Launch First Campaign on Children’s Oral Health

According to a survey released by the Ad Council today less than half (44%) of parents in the U.S. report that their child brushes their teeth twice a day or more.In time for back-to-school season, the Ad Council is joining The Partnership for Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives, a coalition of more than 35 leading dental health organizations, to debut Kids’ Healthy Mouths, their first joint national multimedia public service campaign designed to teach parents and caregivers, as well as children, about the importance of oral health and the simple ways in which they can help prevent oral disease. The English and Spanish-language public service ads are being distributed to media outlets nationwide today.

Created pro bono by ad agencies Grey Group and Wing in New York, the new Kids’ Healthy Mouths public service campaign is aimed at parents and caregivers throughout the U.S., particularly low-income families, and stresses the importance of brushing for 2 minutes twice a day.

According to the Ad Council survey released today, 60 percent of parents with children ages 12 or younger report that they do not regularly help their child brush their teeth or check to make sure they’ve done a good job. Additionally, close to one-third (31 percent) report arguing with their kids at least once a week about brushing their teeth. Parents also report that, on average, their child wastes over two hours each day on things that are silly or unnecessary, such as playing video games, texting, or watching an online video. The new campaign notes that some of this time could instead be focused on improving their oral health.